Freebies and Hand-Me-Downs for the Win!

I’ve always known that babies grow quickly, so buying everything brand new was not going to be my path. But I also know that many of my friends and family want to help out. And listing what I still need will let me know what I’m missing when I’m about to pop, hence creating an Amazon registry I am editing as we go…

Spending Restrictions Until May

Since I know baby showers and baby-to-be gifts are coming in the next 3-4 months, I also have put myself on a very restricted nesting budget. I will only allow myself to spend $100 on anything baby-related until at least mid-May 2018.

I don’t usually enjoy shopping but I do like being prepared. So restricting my nesting spending is actually harder than anticipated. BUT, it hasn’t stopped me from accepting freebies and hand-me-downs from friends, family, and neighbors!!! And that is a WORLD OF HAPPY!!!

Hand-Me-Downs are Amazing!

Thanks to the generosity of our parents and family, our friends, our pet sitting team member with a 3 year old, and now neighbors I’ve met through Nextdoor.com and Facebook, I am checking off the baby list pretty handily! And there has been the added bonus of being able to pay forward any of the stuff that sneaks in for toddlers. I’m avoiding storing things we won’t need for at least 2 years unless they are costly to replace if I give it away and can’t find another free one in time.

Getting Systems in Place

With this in mind, I’m starting a labeled box system to use for Peanut as she grows. Then I’ll be using those same boxes to collect and give away items she grows out of or anything that doesn’t get used. I’m 100% in support of this community tradition of passing along what is no longer needed to help save all of us a ton of money on items that barely have a chance to be used at all as these kids go from infants to full-sized humans.

Online Communities

Seriously, if you are having a mini-human, I highly suggest becoming involved on your community Nextdoor.com site or Facebook page. The other parents in your area want to get the old stuff out of their homes and you can make someone’s day by doing the same for them down the road. You may even end up forming new friendships or support networks. I met two really kind families today and hope to get to know them better in time.

Baby Spending Thus Far

All in all, I’m 18-19 weeks along and have spent $20 thus far on baby stuff during this pregnancy. This is not counting other baby costs like our health insurance out-of-pocket expenses, prenatal vitamins, etc. But still not too shabby! And the $20 was for a large box of 20+ bibs and 10+ receiving blankets.

The Generosity Will Not End with Me

I had already given away the several bags of clothes I had received from past neighbors during my miscarriages, so I’m very grateful for everybody’s continued generosity.

The $20 box I just bought also contained 6 toddler training panties, sized 3T, so I’ve passed those along to a different family in my neighborhood who was then kind enough to give me 2 trash bags of baby clothes, 10+ muslin wraps, 5+ swaddlers, belly bands for after delivery, a bed pad, a few toys, bows and headbands, a small bag of socks, a Fisher-Price Rock and Play, a Moby Baby Wrap, and a few other things that have slipped my mind!

The nursery room is already getting filled with other hand-me-downs, furniture, and gifts. And I know more is coming (have I mentioned that my support network of friends and family is just astoundingly awesome?!).

I see my last trimester being mostly about organizing it all and getting our systems in place. I’ll be passing along all the extras and outgrown items to another baby-to-be to keep this train of generosity chugging away.

FYI: I worked at a dead end cubicle job from 2005-2011 for about $30,000 per year. I went self-employed in July 2011 and make between $70,000-$90,000 through blogging, professional pet sitting, hubby's reffing, and our rental home. If you’d like to start your own site (link to my free step-by-step guide), I highly suggest checking out Bluehost (my referral link with a nice discount for you, PLUS a free custom header banner from me!).
Please contact me any time at budgetingfunstuff*at*gmail*dot*com with questions or just to brainstorm! I’d love to help!

4 thoughts on “Freebies and Hand-Me-Downs for the Win!”

That’s awesome! My child was enormous from the womb, so I would also be prepared for larger sizes, just in case. He is always two sizes above the curve, and I was never able to use infant clothes (he hulked out of them). I wish I was as organized as you!

I lived off the kindness of friends for a lot of baby clothes for my first baby girl. At 5 months, though, I HAD to have a crib. I couldn’t ignore this nesting instinct and drove my husband crazy until I got a crib set up. We were dirt poor, but once the crib was set up I settled right down. 🙂

My name is Crystal Stemberger and I love that you're reading this right now! Welcome to my online lair! I crave making sincere connections with real people, which I strive to do through blogging, professional pet sitting, volunteering, and stepping in to help when and where I can. I hope to "meet" you in the comments soon!

Search BFS

Search for:

Categories

Categories

Want to make money blogging but don't know where to start? Yeah, I've been there, and it sucked. I finally created a free step-by-step guide, with screen prints, to help! I even requested (and received!) an exclusive, lower rate for you through Bluehost! Check it out How to Start a Blog if you're interested!

Check Out My eBooks!!!

New to BFS?

If you are new to Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (BFS), please click here. It'll give you a little background and a starting point for browsing BFS. See you in the comments soon!

As Seen On

DISCLAIMER and DISCLOSURE

I am not a professional or a financial advisor. BFS posts are informational opinions only. Please make your own financial decisions based on personal research or see a financial advisor.

Also, this blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, affiliate links, and/or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics, or posts made in this blog. My opinions are always my own.